Stepping Up
by Moiself
Summary: Part time model Seth needs another body for a shoot he's booked on since his usual partner has let him down. Who else is he going to ask to fill in but Dean? (Ambrollins AU, pre-slash)
1. Chapter 1

"Remind me again why I'm doing this?"

"Because you're my friend and you love me and.."

"..and because Dolph's double booked himself and you got me drunk so I'd agree."

"Ok, there is that. But honestly, there's worse ways to make a quick buck. The money is good, Chris is fun to work with and besides, isn't it time you put your God-given gifts to good use?"

Seth emphasised his point with a hefty smack to Dean's ass.

"Ow! Fucker!"

"Mr Rollins, tell me you have not just marked up my model?"

Chris met the two as they came through the studio doors. Casting an appraising glance over the unfamiliar man, he made his way over and introduced himself.

"Chris Jericho. Photographer. I'll be the one making you look all kinds of good today. You done any of this before?"

Dean shook the offered hand.

"Hi...Dean...errr, sort of?"

"He's helped me with my portfolio, partnered up for some shots, but he takes direction well. The last photographer we worked with was full of praise."

Chris looked uncertain. He took Seth off to one side and spoke to him quietly, out of Dean's earshot.

"You know this is a paying gig Seth? For an actual client? He better be decent."

"Not like we have much of a choice, with Dolph letting you down at the last minute, but trust me, he'll be fine. Might take a little while to loosen up, but he'll get there."

"At least he looks like he takes care of himself. Not a bad body."

"Oh you have _no_ idea…"

"Ok, go then. Damien is out back waiting on you."

The two younger men headed out back towards the dressing area, leaving Chris to finish getting set up.

"Why did you say that about the last photographer?" Dean hissed under his breath.

"Well it _is_ true…"

"When the last photographer I posed for is only a friend I don't think it counts!"

"I wouldn't let Ro hear you say that. Only a friend."

A tall bearded man was waiting for them in the screened off area of the studio set aside for changing.

"Seth! Not Dolph! Hello!"

"Hey Damien. How's things?"

"Not bad, not bad, keeping busy, the usual. Who's your little friend here? Why is he not Dolph?"

"This is Dean. Dolph double booked himself so Dean agreed to step up and fill in."

For the second time since he arrived, Dean found himself being inspected, this Damien guy actually circling round him like he was livestock at market, talking to himself.

"Long legs….neat waist….oh that ass will do just right...little on the pale side...hair is pretty light…ok then Dean, get em off, let's see the rest."

"Dean, Damien is the stylist, he needs to see what he's working with. We talked about this on the way over remember?"

"Stylist, makeup artist, hairdresser, coffee boy, you name it, I do it. Now come on, off with the lot."

It wasn't that Dean was shy, or that he was insecure about his body, after all, he knew he took good care of himself, it was just the situation was putting him a little out of his comfort zone. A glance over a Seth showed that he was having no such qualms, Dean catching sight of him just as he dropped his jeans and boxers revealing his very aesthetically pleasing backside. A subtle cough from Damien grabbed back his attention.

"Oh ok. Taking it off now."

Quickly and with little finesse he stripped down to his boxers, keeping his line of vision well away from his nude friend.

"And the rest…"

Damien smiled encouragingly at Dean, as he slipped out of his boxers, covering his cock with his hand.

"Nothing I've not seen before buddy."

He crossed over to Seth and gave him the same scrutinising once over, returning to Dean once satisfied.

"Ok then Dean who is not Dolph, going to need you to move that hand for me. I need to see what the pube situation is. Fewer strays ruining the shot the better…..that's great, now turn round for me."

Dean had never felt more like a piece of meat in his life.

"What's this we have here? Getting a little frisky earlier were you boys? Seth, you should know better. Nothing I can't cover up though."

Dean twisted round catching a glimpse of his ass reflected in the mirror. Complete with nice bright red handprint.

"Seth! Look at the state of my ass!"

"Whoops!"

"Whoops nothi….what the hell are you doing?!"

The question was aimed at Damien who was now crouched behind him, painting some sort of makeup on his buttcheek with a sponge. He definitely hadn't signed up for this.

"Can't have the evidence of your fun times showing up on camera."

"There's no fun times, we're friends..wait. What do you mean show up on camera?"

Seth's handprint may still have been pretty bright, but it was also right in the middle of his cheek, Dean was quite sure that it would have been covered by whatever he was here to model, it wasn't like it was a nude shoot after all.

He looked over at his friend, roommate, partner in crime, recognising the sheepish expression on his face immediately. He knew that look only too well.

"SETH, WHAT KIND OF SHOOT IS THIS?"


	2. Chapter 2

"And this way. Hip back a touch...Damien straighten that...perfect. Ok, now turn around. And clench. Little less...good...hold it...nice. Ok Dean. That's you. Seth, you're up!"

So his outburst at Seth had been a little bit of an overreaction, Dean thought as he made his way over to Damien for his next 'costume change'. Mostly. There was still a hell of a lot more of him on show than he'd thought, but all his vital parts were covered up and and his face was hidden by a series of carnival masks, each of which matched the outfit of the moment.

Outfit was a slightly generous way of putting it.

The underwear that he and Seth were modelling were skimpy at best; high cut, low rise, push up pouch, _snap away_ pouch, sheer mesh, sheer _lace_ and more. Or technically less.

Chris and Damien had managed to put him at ease, keeping the atmosphere in the studio fun and light. Seth too had helped him out, standing behind Chris once he was ready for his own next set of shots, nodding encouragement to Dean and forming the poses the photographer was asking for so he could mirror them. He was drawn in by Seth's shots in turn, watching from a safe distance with Damien, not wishing to risk getting in the photographer's way, not having any guidance to offer his far more experienced friend.

The afternoon passed quickly that way, the two young men taking turns to pose and watch, following Chris's direction.

"Trying to pick up a few tips?"

Dean jumped a little as Damien spoke, disrupting his observation of Seth showing off a pair of tight white mesh boxers, the crispness perfectly complementing his golden skin, anonymity preserved by a white feathered mask. He had been transfixed by the way the sheer fabric clung to Seth's toned thighs and seemed to perk up his already pretty perky ass.

"Or maybe you're trying to pick up a little something else?"

"Huh? What? You mean….noooo! We're friends. Just friends."

The disbelief was clear on Damien's face. He shrugged and handed Dean the next set of underwear to change into. He had already slipped out of the last pair and stepped in the current red and black pair on autopilot, only noticing as the elastic of the waistband settled into place that there was something missing.

A lot of something missing.

His own asscheeks were exposed by the cut away rear of the garment, though that was nothing new. He'd already sported three different styles of jockstrap and two pairs of backless boxer briefs that afternoon.

No, what made these different wasn't the breeze at his butt, it was the complete lack of anything resembling a front.

The underwear still had legs like regular boxer briefs, connected to the waistband like a pair of chaps, but where there should have been some manner of cock sling, there was only air.

"Damien...I think there's something missing?"

"Shit Your mask! I almost forgot!"

The stylists reaction told him he was clearly the only one surprised as Damien thrust the matching red and black sequinned mask into Dean's hands and scurried off to get Seth ready for his next shoot. He wandered over to Chris, feeling more than a little self conscious for the first time all day. Covering himself with a large cupped hand, he took his place in front of the backdrop and gave Chris a thumbs up.

"Just a sec Dean, we're waiting on Seth...ah there you are,"

Dean stole a glance at Seth who was wearing a similar style to his own, in shades of baby blue and white. He seemed to have no modesty issues with the garment, his cock flopping out of the gap and swinging as he walked over to them.

"...ok guys, this is where it gets fun. Seth I need you to face the backdrop, legs spread...great...and can you clasp your hands behind our head."

He followed Chris's instructions, Dean trying to ignore the urge to let his eyes wander for a closer glimpse of Seth's cock as he got himself into position. He didn't quite manage it, his gaze flickering down one, twice, meeting Seth's on the third pass. He smiled weakly and tuned in to what Chris was trying to explain.

"...so first shot Dean, you're face on to the camera here, right beside Seth. First off, we'll do your left hand on Seth's ass and your right over your junk. Then we'll do a few with your hand off your bits and after that swap over...everyone know what they're at? Great stuff"

Dean could have swore that Seth pushed back against him a little as his hand landed on his ass.

Chris called Damien in for a touch up of some shiny spots before they swapped places. The stylist whispered in Dean's ear as he blotted his face.

"You two vibe so well together, you've got such amazing chemistry. Are you really sure you're just friends?"

Dean chuckled at Damien, reminding him once again that he and Seth were just friends.

Facing away from the camera, Dean took up the position Seth had created earlier, and as he had done earlier, Seth took up position beside him, giving him a cheeky wink before extending his hand and placing it on Dean's ass cheek.

Dean flinched a little at the touch, flinching a little harder still when he felt Seth's hand flex against his skin, fingers digging deep into the meat of his ass as he grabbled a handful and _squeezed_.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean was pretty sure that it was only his utter shock that prevented any sort of reaction to Seth's hand. Shock and the ever present awareness of the fact that not only was he in front of two strangers, one of those two strangers had a camera and was snapping away merrily.

"That's great guys! Love it! Seth...relax your hand a little there pal...perfect."

The second he felt the pressure of Seth's grip ease, some of the tension began to leave Dean's shoulders and neck, the feathers of his mask dipping as his head dropped a tiny touch. The movement made his aware that he had lost his pose, however the clear voice of Chris stopped him before he had a chance to get back in position.

"Stop right there boys! Do not move a muscle! Damien come here a second."

Both Seth and Dean obediently followed the photographer's directions, staying frozen to the spot while Chris whispered hurriedly in his assistant's ear. Dean was itching to know what was happening, facing away from the action as he was, however he didn't trust himself right now to ask Seth what he could see.

Thankfully they didn't have to wait too long for their next direction. Damien reappeared with his brushes and puffs, moving around the pair in an efficient blur of activity, whisking a brush over Dean's cheekbones, dabbing a little something onto Seth's parted lips. In a matter of seconds he was done, returning back to Chris's side.

Chris moved around, snapping the pair from different angles while they remained as they were, Damien darting in once or twice when instructed, gently moving Seth's arms, carefully adjusting the angle of Dean's jaw. Dean closed his eyes on instinct when the stylist drew near, opening them when he retreated to a sight all at once alien and familiar.

Dean thought that he had been on the receiving end of every single one of Seth's vast range of facial expressions. His roommate was graced with the most demonstrative of faces, his moods and whims like a book to anyone who knew him well, but the look that met Dean now was one he had never seen before.

Seth's eyes, framed by the pale sparkle of his mask, were smouldering dark chocolate pools. A faint flush coloured his cheeks matching the warmth Dean could feel creeping across his own and making him hope that it was solely down to Damien's artistry. A breath brushed over Dean's shoulder, his gaze flicking downwards, resting on Seth's parted lips for a split second before shooting upwards once more.

"That's it. We're done...great work guys."

Chris's voice and the loud clap of his hands shattered the bubble which had formed around the pair, the void soon filled with the bustle of Damien as he steered them back to the changing corner and reclaimed their masks.

Asked to go sign some release forms for Chris, Dean redressed quickly, glad of the distraction and grateful to be able to tuck his not quite half hard cock into his own plain underwear. Seth took his time, but was ready and waiting by the time Dean was done. It almost felt strange seeing him fully dressed, now that Dean had seen everything that was underneath the skinny jeans and band t shirts. He wondered if Seth...no, there would be no wondering about Seth. This had been a one off sort of a day, a chance to do something different to help a friend out and earn a little pocket cash, that was all.

Seth seemed remarkably unaffected by the whole experience as they made their way home, perhaps that was only to be expected. After all, this wasn't his first time modelling, he was probably used to being photographed in next to nothing, getting up close and personal with another model. It was only new to Dean because he was standing in for Dolph. He brushed aside what felt suspiciously like jealousy at the thought of Seth and Dolph posing together.

"...oh man. You are a natural. You gotta see these." Caught up in his thoughts, Dean hadn't realised that Seth was talking to him. He stopped, turning to see Seth halted in the middle of the sidewalk, peering at his phone screen.

"Huh?"

"Chris...he's sent me a couple of the rough shots...damn, we look good."

Rushing back to Seth, pressing in close to block the screen from view of any innocent passers by, Dean hissed in alarm. "You can't look at those in public!"

His voice fell silent as he took in the image in Seth's hands. It must have been the final one, and Seth was right, they did look good. They looked better than good, they looked perfectly matched, Dean's pale and Seth's golden frame both well formed, almost sculptural, bodies oriented towards each other ever so slightly, Dean's hand raised just a fraction as if he was about to reach for Seth, their heads tipped as if they were about to kiss. It was a heady image.

"You look like you're about to ravage me," Seth's voice was soft. "In the nice way."

Emboldened by the hopeful encouraging expression on Seth's face, and the deliciousness of the mental image he had just provided, Dean decided to throw caution to the wind.

"That could be arranged you know."

Seth's demeanour changed sharply. Thrusting his phone in his pocket, he grinned at Dean and with eyes sparkling, grasped his arm.

"Come on then. Home. Bed...or couch...or floor...I have a pair of hot assless man panties in my backpack and a hot ass man to model them for."

The dreamy softness was gone, replaced the laughing mischievous tone Dean knew well. The familiarity helped settle any last niggles of doubt. He was still Dean, Seth was still Seth, and this was going to be so much fun.


End file.
